Funding-ACF - USDA
Announces $3.8 Million in Grants and Additional $7 Million Available for
Critical Research to Prevent Childhood Obesity; August 4, 2016
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View this release on the NIFA website. USDA Announces $3.8 Million in Grants and
Additional $7 Million Available for Critical Research to Prevent Childhood
Obesity WASHINGTON, May 18, 2016—Six universities have been awarded nearly $4
million in funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help fight
obesity and improve the health of our nation’s children, Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today. Secretary Vilsack also announced that
USDA is accepting applications for up to $7 million for additional projects
next year. This funding is available through the Agriculture and Food
Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered
by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). “Decades of research supports the fact that children who are hungry don’t
do well in the classroom and suffer from related health issues like obesity,
diabetes and other serious chronic diseases. USDA has invested and will
continue to invest in our children so that all of them, no matter where they
are born or what their parents’ income levels are, have a shot at a healthy
and productive future,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Since implementation of the
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, kids are now eating 16 percent more vegetables
and 23 percent more fruit at lunch, more low-income children are benefiting
from breakfast and lunch programs, and nearly four million children have
access to healthy food in the summer when school is out and meals are scarce.
Data show some signs of progress on childhood obesity, particularly among our
youngest children, and the projects these researchers are undertaking will
ensure we have evidence-based tools to continue moving the dial.” Established by the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill,
AFRI is the nation's premier competitive, peer-reviewed grants program for
fundamental and applied agricultural sciences. In the seven years since AFRI
was established, the program has led to true innovations and ground-breaking
discoveries in agriculture to combat childhood obesity, improve and sustain
rural economic growth, address water availability issues, increase food
production, find new sources of energy, mitigate the impacts of climate
variability and enhance resiliency of our food systems, and ensure food
safety. This round of funding is offered through the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge
Area, which supports research to reduce the prevalence
of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents ages 2–19
years. Since 2011, NIFA has awarded more than $165.6 million to the AFRI
Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area. Fiscal year 2015 awards include:
The University of Montana has received funding to design and test the
viability of an intervention to improve healthy eating among children in
Flathead Indian reservation; a study has shown that 57 percent of American
Indian youth ages 5-19 living in Montana are overweight or obese. Part of the
University of Montana’s plan is to work with the Salish-Kootenai College
to teach students about gardening, accessing healthy foods, and preparing and
consuming locally produced foods. The University of New England will promote
fruit and vegetable purchases and consumption by families in under-resourced
communities, reducing health disparities, improving human nutrition, and
preventing unhealthy weight gain among children. Find the complete list
of this year’s project descriptions on NIFA’s reporting website. Applicants for fiscal year 2016 childhood obesity prevention grant
proposals should focus on behavioral and environmental approaches to obesity
prevention in children. For application deadlines and other information, see
the request for applications.
Visit USDA’s Medium chapter, Growing a Healthier
Future, to learn more about USDA’s efforts to
improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the
health of our next generation. Science funded by AFRI is vital to meeting food, fiber, and fuel demands
as the world's population is projected to exceed nine billion by 2050 and
natural resources are stressed under a changing climate. In addition,
AFRI programs help develop new technologies and a workforce that will advance
our national security, our energy self-sufficiency, and the health of
Americans. The President’s 2017 budget request proposes
to fully fund AFRI for $700 million; this amount is the full
funding level authorized by Congress when it established AFRI in the 2008
Farm Bill. Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and
transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the
long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education,
and extension programs, supporting the best and brightest scientists and
extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries
that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic
growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production,
finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring
food safety. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science, visitwww.nifa.usda.gov/impacts,
sign up for email updates, or
follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA,#NIFAimpacts. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint
of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992(English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800)
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